Conrad Dublin is a 5-star hotel at the heart of the city’s lifestyle district. In a contemporary brick building across the street from the National Concert Hall, this well-polished hotel is 1 km from the Book of Kells housed at Trinity College and 3 km from the Guinness Storehouse.
Hands down, impeccable service!
As I walked in the lobby, the Christmas spirit, and the lights from the holidays still linger. I asked General Manager, Martin Mangan a few questions:
- What is your favourite Conrad memory?
My first Day at Conrad Dublin; the excitement of taking over this amazing property and every day since that day I still feel that buzz and excitement
- Describe your brand in 3 words
Inspiring, Authentic, Memorable
- What made you decide to be a hotelier?
I was an avid viewer of the TV show Hotel and that stoked my interest. I loved the GM’s character, how he interacted with famous guests and staff. That was it, I was hooked, and I wanted to be a GM just like him. I remember as a 13 year old telling my Maths Teacher I wanted to be a GM. The passion came from my very first part time job in hospitality working for the late great Shay Curran in Moyglare Manor whilst still in school. Shay had worked in the Savoy and some of London’s top hotels and he was a pure showman, but he knew hospitality.
- Why join Conrad Dublin?
We have been on an incredibly journey over the last number of years, we have an amazing culture where every single member of the team is united by one common goal to create amazing experiences for our guests and an environment where our team members can grow with the fast growing most innovative luxury brand in the world.
- What’s your favourite Conrad property aside from Dublin?
Very difficult as I have not visited them all, but I have been to many. I could not name one, but I love Conrad Algarve, as a resort it’s amazing; Conrad Tokyo is an incredible hotel; I love Conrad London St Jame’s; Conrad New York’s location is amazing in lower Manhattan. To be honest we have some incredible amazing hotels in incredible destinations and cities. Most recently I returned from the Conrad Istanbul, which has just gone through the most amazing refurbishment and that city is a must visit, what history.
- What’s your favourite part of the hotel?
The Foyer – Our designers Fabled Studios really nailed the design brief ‘Nature and Literature’ taking inspiration from the Iveagh Gardens and Georgian Dublin. The Lobby is always buzzing and there is a fantastic sense of place and welcome when guests walk through the door. I also love to sit in Lemuel’s, our new bar and lounge, and enjoy a coffee in the morning. Named after Lemuel Gulliver, a fictional character in Gulliver’s Travels written by the famous Irish author Jonathan Swift and whose book Gulliver’s Travels was the inspiration for our designers, it’s a must visit just to see the laser etched map of Gulliver’s travels which hangs from the skylight, not to mention the cocktails, which were inspired by Gulliver’s travels. My favourite is Ship on the Rocks!
- What makes a Conrad Dublin experience so special?
For me it’s the team; we have an incredible team some of whom like Gary Waters one of our Concierge and John Hegarty our Front of House Manager have been here since the hotel opened its doors 30 years ago.
The hotel has been beautifully refurbished and our owners have invested heavily and spared no cost; but what brings our guests back and what they talk about most is the warmth, friendliness and genuine feeling of hospitality they get from Gary, John and the team who can anticipate your needs before you can ask and make you feel welcome like you just walked into a friend home, albeit a very nice one!
- What’s the best CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative Conrad Hotel Dublin has been a part of and why?
Each year we partner with a local Children’s charity and over the years we have worked with many fledgling charities to help them and this has been tremendously rewarding for our team. We are currently working closely with Foróige whose purpose is to enable young people to involve themselves consciously and actively in their own development and in the development of society.
Conrad Dublin is one of the best hotels in Europe, from having amazing F&B outlets, to the staff who are truly happy with what they do. It was like walking into a family.
